We fell in love with the general shape of the Miss Limestone right from the start but went back and forth on whether it should be a coat or a cardigan. In the end we decided there HAD to be a way to make it work as either one.

As a coat it works well with a number of different woven fabrics. Try out a colourful plaid flannel, a luxurious wool, canvas with a fun print, etc. As a cardigan it is definitely not your "lightweight/loose sweater knit" style cardigan but instead reach for your favourite mid-heavy weight knits. Things like chunky sweater knit, heavy cable knit, sweater fleece, etc are all good options.

One of the biggest differences you'll probably find when using knits rather than wovens is the final length of your Limestone. After all, most knits stretch vertically while most wovens don't. The heavier/stretchier your knit, the longer you may find it hanging. In the picture below you can see both the long and short versions that Sherri and myself made in a heavy/chunky sweater knit. Both of ours have stretched to hang longer than expected - my long one especially (we're talking at least an extra 6 inches)!

Lining is optional with the 'unlined' version still attempting to cover raw edges where reasonable (a bound neckline, a hem facing, etc.), or finish/serge/etc. raw edges to help keep them looking clean. We like this option especially when using knits, but it's a totally valid choice for woven fabric as well.

We like the lined version for woven coats. Using something with a little bit of 'slip' can help your jacket slide on without grabbing at your clothing. On the other hand we've recently been thinking that using a sherpa type fabric would also be a really cozy option. If you consider trying it we really hope you'll share pics with us because we think it could be really amazing!

While lining the coat gives a beautiful clean finish inside there was one thing our testers came across that is worth consideration. In a couple cases the main/outer fabric had just enough weight and mechanical stretch to it that it started to hang longer than the lining could. When this happened it started to bulge over the topstitching line (where the top edge of the hem facing had been tacked down). One of the easiest solutions, in this case, was to simply omit this line of topstitching. Another option is to let the coat hang for about 24 hours before pinning the top of the hem facing to the main fabric (while the coat is still hanging up so you can see where the fabrics "want" to align when gravity is pulling on them).

We've talked a bit about fabric choices but now how about style options!?! You can choose from 2 different lengths both with a high low hem.

The most basic version includes the oversized 3 piece hood. From there you can add or mix and match the following options:

• Large front pockets
• Belt/Belt loops
• Wide back stripe (which matches up with the center gusset of the hood)
• Added piping along the back stripe
• Added piping along the front binding.

When lining the coat the only seams that will still be visible are the ones where the cuff is attached. In the tutorial we do quickly mention a tip for hiding that seam but we wanted to include a visual in this blog post to go along with that:

So........short sleeves, eh? (I like to toss a little "Canadian lingo" in every now and then.) I can hear your hesitancy, but it WAS an intentional style choice and we really think you might be surprised by how much you love it in the end! We had 2 thoughts along with this design.

#1 - Hacking a straight sleeve to add to the dolman-style body of the coat should be a fairly simple option for anyone who REALLY wants one so we didn't feel too bad leaving it off to achieve the look we wanted.

#2 - We wanted to create a layered look by offering a faux sleeve pattern to pair with this coat. (Not that the sleeve has to be limited to this.) You can check out the "Permafrost" sleeve pattern HERE. We're offering it as a free accessory available in both of our size ranges (Girls 2-16 and Junior Miss 0-20).

We look forward to seeing your own creations and combinations. Join us in our Sofiona Sewing group on Facebook to share inspiration or tag us on IG @sofionadesigns. #sofionadesigns #sofimisslimestone #sofipermafrost